Trent Dilfer Reunites with Lipscomb Academy as Head Coach

NASHVILLE — Lipscomb Academy named Trent Dilfer head football coach of the Mustang football program today. A former NFL quarterback and Super Bowl champion with the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, Dilfer previously led the Mustangs from 2019 to 2022. Lipscomb Academy won 44 games and two state championships under Coach Dilfer, and 46 of his players went on to play at the collegiate level before he departed for a Division I college opportunity of his own. Coach Dilfer returns to Lipscomb with a focus on developing young men through excellence, accountability and spiritual formation.

“We’re excited to welcome Coach Trent Dilfer back to Lipscomb Academy,” says Lipscomb Academy athletic director Jake House. “This is a special community, and we believe athletics are a powerful part of how students grow in faith, leadership and performance on and off their respective fields of play. As we continue to pursue excellence in all arenas, this hire reflects a commitment to our student-athletes as they prepare to serve and lead, wherever God calls them.”

Lipscomb Academy’s mission is to be a Christ-centered community preparing learners for purposeful lives through rigorous academics and transformative experiences. Dilfer’s prior tenure at Lipscomb defined “transformation.” Dilfer drove advances across all aspects of the football program — from operations and logistics to facilities and player development — that the academy continues to benefit from today. Lipscomb’s on-field performance and its players’ opportunities to play at the college level quickly reflected the transformation.

“The Dilfer days at Lipscomb were some of the best of my life. Coach Dilfer is the perfect fit for Lipscomb. … He’s helped so many young players and young adults transition to play high-level college football and sports and taught us how to be better men and how to better ourselves. ... Coach Dilfer is the perfect man to come back and lead the Lipscomb program and shape its players into Godly men!” says Lipscomb Academy alumnus Edwin Spillman, linebacker, University of Tennessee.

Coach Dilfer is excited to bring the growth and knowledge he gained at the collegiate level back to Lipscomb Academy in what he and Lipscomb both hope and expect to be a “forever move” for the Dilfer family. Dilfer and his wife, Cassandra, have four children and three grandchildren, many of whom already call Nashville home.

“My family and I are proud Nashvillians and proud members of the Lipscomb family. I am honored and grateful for this opportunity to reunite with Mustang football,” Dilfer says. “What excites me most is the opportunity to invest in young people through a program rooted in faith, character and servant leadership. Football is a vehicle for formation and growth, and our program will reflect that. We’re committed to pursuing excellence the right way, and to creating an experience our students, families and alumni can be proud of for years to come.”

Dilfer succeeds Jamie Graham as head football coach.

“Coach Jamie Graham represented Lipscomb Academy with class, integrity and love for our student-athletes,” says Dr. Brad Schultz, Lipscomb Academy head of school. “We thank Coach Graham for the countless hours he invested in our young men.”

 

For more information about the Lipscomb Academy athletic program, visit www.lipscombacademy.org.

 

About Trent Dilfer

A former Super Bowl-winning quarterback and ESPN analyst, Dilfer played for five teams during his career, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1994-99), Baltimore Ravens (2000), Seattle Seahawks (2001-04), Cleveland Browns (2005) and San Francisco 49ers (2006-2007). Dilfer led the Ravens to a 34-7 victory over the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. He threw for 21 touchdowns with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in both the 1997 and 1998 NFL seasons. The 1997 Pro Bowl selection finished his career with 20,518 passing yards. Dilfer was the sixth overall pick by the Buccaneers in the 1994 NFL Draft out of Fresno State University. In 1993 he led the nation in passing efficiency and set the NCAA record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception (271) that would stand until 2007.

Coach Dilfer also has been awarded and recognized for his accomplishments off the field. In 2003, he received the NFL Bart Starr Award honoring the NFL player who “best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community,” followed by the Seattle Seahawks Ed Block Courage Award. As a result of his commitment to make a positive impact on communities and generosity to many charitable causes, Coach Dilfer received the San Francisco 49ers’ Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and the Aptos Chamber Community Hero Award in 2006.